Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Over-65s are 28% of the population. It is a village of 1,744 residents in Bedfordshire, East of England.
Health outcomes beat most towns: life expectancy 82 for men, 85.9 for women. Fewer journeys need a car (A−): on the way to work, 21% walk, cycle or take a bus or train. Where it falls short is cost of living — a typical home costs £374,250 and rent runs £1,173 a month. The rest of its grades are middling: B for schools and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: life expectancy, ONS · commuting, Census 2021 · prices, HM Land Registry, the last three years · flood risk, Environment Agency. Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Sharnbrook has its subject grades alone.
The 3 things Sharnbrook does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Sharnbrook is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
Below 2,500 residents there is no overall grade, so Sharnbrook has its subject grades alone.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists them inside Sharnbrook’s built-up area, along with 1 scheduled monument.
22% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sharnbrook.
Half the people of Sharnbrook are older than 50.3. Children are 14% of the town. Degrees are held by 42% of adults, above Bedfordshire’s towns (32%) and England’s towns (34%) alike.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Sharnbrook | Bedfordshire | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 20% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 29% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| 65+ | 28% | 15% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 5.9% | 5.5% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 17% | 16% | 17% |
| Degree level | 42% | 32% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Bedfordshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Sharnbrook’s one primary and one secondary have 1,900 pupils between them. Both of its schools are shown below. Secondary results at the one secondary school within 3 km: an Attainment 8 score of 47.7, with 46% at grade 5 or above in English and maths.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharnbrook PrimaryLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 216 | A− |
| Sharnbrook AcademyLargest secondary schoolSecondary | Secondary | 1,684 | B |
There is no GP practice in Sharnbrook: the nearest is 0.8 miles off. Men in Sharnbrook can expect to live to 82, women to 85.9 (2019–23). The nearest A&E to Sharnbrook is Bedford Hospital, 7.5 miles away.
| Census 2021 | Sharnbrook | Bedfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 83% | 84% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL · Young towns look healthier on these answers, which aren’t adjusted for age; the Health Grade uses measures that are, such as life expectancy and early deaths.
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Sharnbrook’s listed buildings include the Parish Church of St Peter, Grade I. It counts 37 listed buildings on the national list (Historic England): 1 Grade I. Just over a fifth of homes date from before 1919. Of the town’s land, 34% lies in conservation areas, above Bedfordshire’s towns (4%) and England’s towns (7%) alike.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 40% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
Of the commuters living in Sharnbrook, 13% work in the town itself. Two in five workers worked mainly from home, above Bedfordshire’s towns (30%) and England’s towns (31%) alike. Household income averages £76K a year before tax.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
Violence and sexual offences accounted for 62% of recorded crime. Police figures for Sharnbrook’s built-up area: 68 crimes and 19 anti-social behaviour reports in the 12 months to August 2026. Anti-social behaviour, shown but not graded, came to 9.6 reports per 1,000, between Bedfordshire’s towns (10.3) and England’s towns (7.8).
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL · The police category of violence and sexual offences includes harassment and stalking.
Social housing holds nearly one in ten households, below Bedfordshire’s towns (15%) and England’s towns (18%) alike. 13% of households are private tenants. Also worth knowing: the £374,250 median rests on 62 standard sales inside the built-up area (September 2023 to August 2026).
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £570,000 | 27 |
| Semi-detached | £350,000 | 21 |
| Terraced | £288,350 | 12 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharnbrook | 1,744 | — | — | C+ | B+ | A |
| Harrold | 1,668 | 3 | — | B− | B+ | A− |
| Riseley | 1,320 | 3.6 | — | C | B+ | A |
| Wymington | 1,000 | 3.7 | — | B+ | D− | A− |
| Oakley | 2,507 | 3.9 | A | C+ | A | B+ |
| Rushden | 31,689 | 4.7 | C− | B− | C− | C |
| Clapham | 4,502 | 4.7 | B | B+ | B | B |
| Bozeat | 2,166 | 5.3 | — | C+ | A | B− |
Harrold, Riseley, Wymington and Bozeat have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
That is 8.7 times the typical UK town for its size. Its Grade I building is Parish Church of St Peter. It also has 1 scheduled monument.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £374,250, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: terraced houses £288,350, semi-detached houses £350,000 and detached houses £570,000.
Village in Bedfordshire, England
Sharnbrook is a built-up area of 1,744 people, in the Bedford council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.